The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library is the

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

system serving greater

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, United States. It includes seventeen branch libraries as well as the

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Main Library.

History

The Albuquerque Public Library opened on May 1, 1901, replacing the Ladies' Library Association which had operated sporadically since 1883. The new library was located in Perkins Hall, a three-story brick building at the intersection of Central and Edith which had previously housed the first Albuquerque Academy and the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. The building was purchased and donated to the city by local businessman Joshua Raynolds for the purpose of establishing a public library. The library opened with 2,382 books, many of which were donated by local businesspeople. By 1920 the library had outgrown its old facility, and planning began for a new building on the same site. Perkins hall was torn down, and the new library opened on March 26, 1925. Designed by Arthur Rossiter, the building was a fine example of Pueblo Revival architecture with its buttresses, towers, irregular parapet, and exposed wooden beams. Interior decorations were by Santa Fe artist

Gustave Baumann Gustave Baumann (June 27, 1881 – October 8, 1971) was an American printmaker and painter, and one of the leading figures of the color woodcut revival in America. His works have been shown at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, The C ...

. The Main Library was enlarged in 1947 and 1951. In 1948 the city purchased the former

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

of war correspondent

Ernie Pyle Ernest Taylor Pyle (August 3, 1900 – April 18, 1945) was a Pulitzer Prize–winning American journalist and war correspondent who is best known for his stories about ordinary American soldiers during World War II. Pyle is also notable for the ...

and turned it into Albuquerque's first branch library. The Old Main Library became the Special Collections branch in 1978 after a new facility was built downtown.

Libraries

Old Main Library

The

Pueblo Revival The Pueblo Revival style or Santa Fe style is a regional architectural style of the Southwestern United States, which draws its inspiration from Santa Fe de Nuevo México's traditional Pueblo architecture, the Spanish missions, and Territorial ...

style Old Main Library served as the city's main public library from 1925 to 1975 and now houses the Special Collections branch. It was designed by Arthur Rossiter, with interior decorations by Santa Fe artist

, and opened to the public on March 23, 1925. It is listed on the

New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural ...

and is also an Albuquerque Historic Landmark.

Main Library

The current Main Library, opened in 1975, is located at the intersection of Fifth and Copper in

downtown Albuquerque Downtown Albuquerque is the central business district of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is where a significant number of the city's highrise buildings are located, and is the center of government and business for the Greater Albuq ...

. It was designed by local architect

George Pearl George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American ...

, whose striking modern interpretation of traditional southwest architecture received a design award from the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. Pearl considered it one of his "three or four most important" designs. The library received a $1.8 million renovation in 2006 which included the addition of a new glass atrium and lobby, a coffee shop, and an expansion of the used book shop on the lower level. The space that was developed for a coffee shop in 2006, the ABQ Coffee Connection, officially opened on May 3, 2010. In 2013, the restaurant Al's Other Half replaced the former coffee shop. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2019.

Branches

In addition to the Main Library, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library system operates seventeen branch libraries throughout the Albuquerque metropolitan area: *Alamosa Library (opened September 24, 2001) *Central & Unser Library (opened April 18, 2015) *Cherry Hills Library (opened June 24, 1998) *East Mountain Library, Tijeras (opened October 1994) *Erna Fergusson Library (opened 1966, current library built in 2003) * Ernie Pyle Library (opened 1948) *Juan Tabo Library (opened 1983) *Lomas Tramway Library (opened 1987) *Los Griegos Library (opened 1954) *North Valley Library (opened 1994) *San Pedro Library (opened 1967) *South Broadway Library (opened 1974, current library built in 1994) *South Valley Library (opened 1958) *

Special Collections Library Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

(opened 1925, Special Collections since 1978) *Taylor Ranch Library (opened 1989) *Tony Hillerman Library (formerly the Wyoming Library, opened 1957) *Westgate Library (opened March 21, 1998)

Former branches

*Esperanza Library (replaced by Alamosa Library in 2001) *Esther Bone Library,

Rio Rancho Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It is ...

(now part of the Rio Rancho system)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library System County library systems in the United States Education in Albuquerque, New Mexico Education in Bernalillo County, New Mexico Public libraries in New Mexico Buildings and structures in Bernalillo County, New Mexico